§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will consider increasing State pensions from next November in line with the actual rate of inflation at the time rather than in line with the expected rise.
§ Mr. Prentice; This is not a practical proposition. The uprating of benefits for millions of people is a complex administrative task. It is therefore essential, if the proposed new rates are to be put into payment on time, for them to be determined and announced well in advance of the up-rating date. This can be done only on the basis of an estimate of the likely movement of prices over the period since the last up-rating date. The increases in retirement pensions proposed for November this year are expected to match the increase in prices since the uprating in November 1979.